​PETOSKEY — Stuart Borowski looks the part in the heart of the Petoskey defense. From the old-school cowboy collar and eye black, to all 6-foot-2, 210 pounds of him. But a lot of guys can look the part. Over the past couple seasons, Borowski’s tenacity and play from the middle linebacker position has matched it.His teammates see everything that goes into his play before game days too.“He’s a farm kid, he’s tough and he’s always working hard and getting here early,” Petoskey junior safety Braden Fralick said. Borowski broke out as a sophomore starter a year ago, with his talent for the position flashing. Although, there were times he was still getting his feet under him and catching up to the varsity speed. Those feet are fully entrenched under him now and nobody is feeling like that experience paid off more so than Borowski. “It helped with nerves,” he said on getting that experience as a sophomore. “It’s easier to get off the ball. I’ve added size in the offseason and it gave me a lot of confidence.”Petoskey: Petoskey swarms Sault Ste. Marie in opener for total dominationGaylord: Gaylord football uses dominant second half to defeat EscanabaLast Friday, the Northmen opened at home in front of a packed house against Sault Ste. Marie. Borowski got to show his talent for only around a quarter and a half, before starters essentially got to call it a night in a blowout victory.Borowski still contributed five tackles, two for a loss and recovered a fumble that was nearly a scoop and score near the goal line.He’s benefited from and credited a great defensive line in front of him the past couple of seasons for some of that success, knowing how much they make his job easier. “It’s great,” he said. “It’s really easy to make your reads and it just makes my life easier as a linebacker.”Petoskey has had a number of great linebackers over the years that Borowski has had the fortune of looking up to and, even as a junior, he’s trying to fill the role of someone the next generation coming up can look to.“For sure,” he said. “That’s been my focus this year, just to be a leader for the other guys and bring the energy in practice.”Guys like Fralick, who started alongside Borowski as a sophomore a year ago, are noticing that jump too. “So much,” Fralick said on improvements from Borowski. “He’s very vocal. He’s doing a great job.”Charlevoix–Boyne: Charlevoix pulls off second straight comeback victory against a rivalEast Jordan, Harbor Springs: Webb leads East Jordan to first victory, Harbor Springs gets physical with Glen LakeWhen Petoskey’s captains walked out for the coin toss Friday night, Borowski was one of three juniors in the group, two on that defensive group. Through two games, Petoskey’s defense has been relentless. They’ve allowed no more than a touchdown in each game and combined for 16 tackles for a loss. “It’s been a lot of fun,” Fralick added. “We’ve got a couple